Senior WH insider joins chorus of those calling for Biden withdrawal from 2024 race
The drumbeat from those urging Joe Biden to withdraw from the 2024 race continues to grow louder, and some of those calls are coming from sources the president himself may not have expected.
As Fox News reports, a senior official from inside the White House has stepped forward to declare that Biden should not seek re-election due to a noticeable downward trend in his health and cognition over the past year.
White House insider speaks out
Until very recently few inside the Biden administration have shown any cracks in the official resolve to move forward with the president's re-election bid, but the tide has reportedly begun to turn.
The New York Times reported Saturday that a senior White House official, who was granted anonymity in exchange for candor, offered an opinion on the wisdom of Biden's continued presence in the race and his ability to serve another term in office.
According to the Times, the individual has been with Biden since the 2020 campaign, not to mention during his time as vice president and throughout his current term.
In that individual's estimation, gleaned through personal observation and interactions, Biden no longer possesses the attributes and abilities needed to conduct an effective campaign.
“The official....said Mr. Biden had steadily showed more signs of his age in recent months, including speaking more slowly, haltingly and quietly, as well as appearing more fatigued in private,” the report stated, echoing concerns voiced by many others in recent days.
Support crumbling from all sides
In addition to the damning assessment from inside the White House, Biden has suffered a series of additional blows over the weekend, including those that emerged from a virtual meeting called by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) with ranking Democrats on key committees, as Fox News noted separately.
According to Fox News, multiple participants on the call voiced their worries about Biden's continued presence in the race and his chances of defeating former President Donald Trump, joining a handful of Democrats who stepped forward to say the same last week.
Among those said to have privately declared their belief that Biden needs to go are Reps. Jerry Nadler, Don Beyer, Mark Takano, and Adam Smith, with most also suggesting that Vice President Kamala Harris step into the role of party nominee.
In what may be a dire sign of things to come for Biden, one of his strongest Hollywood allies, who just a week ago hosted a high-dollar fundraiser for the president, went public with his belief that it is time for the party to select a replacement nominee.
Liberal film director Rob Reiner, a longtime Biden stalwart, said Sunday that there is no more time to waste, adding that “Joe Biden has effectively served US with honor, decency, and dignity” but that it is time for him to “step down,” in what could be the prelude to a very bad week for the sitting president.